Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
Cloud computing in Italy - statistics & facts
Cloud computing refers to the on-demand delivery of computer services, such as storage, database, software, networking, and intelligence over the internet. Rather than buying and maintaining physical data centers and servers, cloud computing users can access such servers remotely, via the internet, and use the above-mentioned services whenever they want.
For its many advantages, both individual and business users have been increasingly moving towards cloud solutions, which guarantee better data storage and backup, data security, accessibility, mobility, unlimited storage capacity, and low maintenance cost. The same trend can be observed in Italy, where the cloud computing market grew over the past four years and is expected to reach a size of over ten billion euros by 2025.
Furthermore, cloud computing services are divided into three main categories: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). Simply put, IaaS offers such services on a pay-as-you-go basis, while SaaS allows accessing applications over the internet instead of using any software. Finally, PaaS combines the first two service models, buying services from cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, and using them on a secure internet connection. In Italy, with a revenue of over 2.2 billion euros in 2021, SaaS is the most common service model and accounts for over half of the total cloud market revenue.
However, cloud computing has also its disadvantages and vulnerabilities. Particularly, among the most recurring problems, there are cyberattacks to cloud ICT systems, security breaches related to bad configuration, unauthorized access by strangers, and ransomware. To prevent such problems, companies could implement different strategies, like investing in more unified security management of different data centers and cloud environments, as well as finding solutions delivered with minimal training and support from the vendor.
Cloud computing segments
There are three main deployment models of cloud computing: public, private, and hybrid. The public cloud includes services shared among several businesses, while the private model is owned by a single organization. As of now, the public cloud is the most used model in the Italian peninsula. However, the hybrid model – which combines features of the public and the private cloud – has been recently gaining importance, and more users are opting for it. Indeed, in Italy, the hybrid cloud model, which generated a 2021 revenue of roughly 1.5 million euros, is expected to grow by over 23 percent by 2022.Furthermore, cloud computing services are divided into three main categories: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). Simply put, IaaS offers such services on a pay-as-you-go basis, while SaaS allows accessing applications over the internet instead of using any software. Finally, PaaS combines the first two service models, buying services from cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, and using them on a secure internet connection. In Italy, with a revenue of over 2.2 billion euros in 2021, SaaS is the most common service model and accounts for over half of the total cloud market revenue.
Adoption, consumption, and vulnerabilities
As technology keeps developing, more people, both for private and business uses, tend to adopt cloud solutions. In 2021, most companies adopted both multi-vendor cloud and on-premise solutions, but it seems they are keen to move from on-premise software to SaaS and transfer more workload to the cloud. The companies which do adopt cloud technology cover many different sectors, from IT, computer and electronics, and telecoms firms, to electrical equipment and machinery companies.However, cloud computing has also its disadvantages and vulnerabilities. Particularly, among the most recurring problems, there are cyberattacks to cloud ICT systems, security breaches related to bad configuration, unauthorized access by strangers, and ransomware. To prevent such problems, companies could implement different strategies, like investing in more unified security management of different data centers and cloud environments, as well as finding solutions delivered with minimal training and support from the vendor.
